Major Barbara Author:Bernard Shaw The first third of the book is a preface to the other 2/3,the play. This 1905/1907 work is an often funny study of a clash between spiritual and worldly power as personified by Barbara,a Salvation Army "officer" and her Machiavellian millionaire armaments father some 10 years before World War I began. Much of the money for charities is found to ... more »come from liquor,armamants,etc. profits.
A paraphrase from Plato is,perhaps,telling:"Society cannot be saved until either scholars make weaponry,or gunpowder makers become philosophers".« less